The Holiday season is upon us which reminds us of what is important in life such as family and friends. To remember this warm and fun time, we take video and photos. Here are some quick tips on capturing those moments and impressing your family.

Equipment.

An often-overlooked step is preparing your camera and all the equipment. Clean out your memory card, charge the batteries and make sure your tripod has a camera mount. These also apply to your phone if you’re using it to take the photos. If you are looking for a cellphone tripod adapter, you can buy a selfie stick at your local Walmart or Target for about $5. Also use the camera that you are most comfortable with.

Know your camera settings.

Nothing is more embarrassing than to stand in front of a group with a camera and not remember or know what setting to use. Go over camera settings like timer, night/day photos, some cameras have presets for food, micro/macro, face recognition, etc. You can win some points with your family when you know exactly how your camera operates.

Location.

Plan the area where you might have a whole group or small groups of people to take photos. Make sure there is good lighting such as lamps or natural light from outside. All things considered don’t place windows or objects behind your subject. Feel free to have props on stand by for your guests.

Plan out your group photo.

If your family is gathering early enough maybe take a photo outside, or take advantage of natural light inside. Instead of lining everyone up in a straight line, try stacking the group. Kids might sit on ground while grandparents sit on chairs and everyone else could stand behind them from shortest to tallest, always tallest people on the back. Also if they can’t see you, they can’t see the camera, make sure everyone can see the camera.

Photo around the table.

If your family is shooting a photo around the table, do so before you start eating, that way your table looks rich with food, no greens between the teeth and no shirt stains. Always make sure you have enough light and don’t be afraid to use your camera on a tripod, set the timer and join your family.

Experiment with the shot

Remember it’s usually best to shoot horizontally, especially for your group photos. If you want to capture the feel of the dinner or the holiday party, try shooting with different angles and perspectives to add interest to the photo.

In conclusion we hope these tips help you and your family cherish good times for years to come and remember, SMILE!

Ad-Venture Video Productions is a video production studio in Fresno, CA. We offer commercial advertising, corporate video production, agriculture videography, drone photography and digital video and multimedia production. Owner Ted R. Ruiz, Sr. has been in video production for over 40 years and is a proud supporter of the Clovis, Fresno and California business communities.